Onondaga Lake As A Superfund Site

Because of the complexity and severity of the toxic waste, in 1994 Onondaga Lake was added to the federal Superfund National Priorities List (NPL). The Onondaga Lake Superfund is broken down into 9 separate sub-sites. Each sub-site will undergo its own remediation and have its own plans and actions to guide each cleanup. Honeywell International is responsible for the clean-up of six of the sub-sites, including the Onondaga Lake-bottom. The nine sub-sites include:

Onondaga Lake-bottom

Geddes Brook/Ninemile Creek

LCP Bridge Street

Semet Residue Ponds (commonly known as the Semet Tar Beds)

Willis Ave. plant site

Wastebed B/Harbor Brook

Town of Salina Landfill

General Motors, Ley Creek Dredging

General Motors, IFG Facility

The Onondaga Lake-bottom site is the best known of the nine subsites. There are 48 different contaminants and stressors of concern in the water, sediment, soil, plants, and fish of Onondaga Lake –intentionally dumped or unintended byproducts of Honeywell and their predecessors’ operations. As a result Onondaga Lake is commonly referred to as the most polluted lake in the country.

In July 2005 the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) and Honeywell International agreed upon a Record of Decision (ROD) – the official term for a ‘clean-up’ plan – for the lake-bottom subsite. In October 2006, Honeywell and the state signed a Consent Decree – a legal action memorializing and finalizing the plan. Read the official plan at the NYSDEC’s website.